Poinsettia plant named ‘Fisvinci’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct poinsettia plant named ‘Fisvinci’ characterized by salmon-pink main bract color, slightly freckles with pink; ovate-shaped bracts with distinct lobes; dark green foliage with distinct, pointed lobes; medium sized, round, well-branched plant habit, with mostly upright directed branches; relatively early flowering response; and good performance in early culture at high temperatures.

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: Euphorbiapulcherrima.

Variety denomination: ‘Fisvinci’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofpoinsettia plant known by the cultivar name ‘Fisvinci’ and botanicallyknown as Euphorbia pulcherrima. ‘Fisvinci’ is a product of a plannedbreeding program which had the objective of creating new poinsettiacultivars with yellow to salmon flower color in combination withdark-green foliage and good cultivation ability. ‘Fisvinci’ originatedfrom a hybridization program by Katharina Zerr, the inventor, inHillscheid, Germany, in 1996.

The female parent was a proprietary hybrid seedling, no. S90-602-1(unpatented) characterized by light salmon-pink bract color, mediumgreen foliage, and medium-sized, wide, and bushy plant habit. The maleparent was a hybrid seedling, no. S90-502-1(unpatented), having redbract color, dark green foliage, and early flowering.

The seeds germinated in the spring of 1997, and the resulting seedlingswere identified by numbers. In the summer of 1997, a cutting was takenfrom each seedling, rooted and grown out for examination as floweringsingle-stem plants. ‘Fisvinci’ was discovered and selected as oneflowering plant (no. 6876) within the progeny of the statedhybridization program by Katharina Zerr in the fall of 1997.

After this plant had been chosen, more cuttings were taken from theoriginal seedling and grafted on rootstocks of the variety ‘Beckmann'sAltrosa’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,336), in order to transmit the branchingcausing agent, phytoplasma, into the clone to improve the branchingcharacteristics. From the upper area of the successfully grafted plants,shoot tip cuttings were taken for the cultivation of branched plants forthe second examination in the fall of 1998.

Horticultural examination of the plant starting in 1998 and continuinghas demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as hereindisclosed for ‘Fisvinci’ are firmly fixed and retained throughsuccessive generations of asexual reproduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe basic characteristics of ‘Fisvinci’ which in combination distinguishthis Poinsettia as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. salmon-pink main bract color, slightly freckled with pink;

2. ovate-shaped bracts with distinct lobes;

3. dark green foliage with distinct, pointed lobes;

4. medium sized, round, well-branched plant habit, with mostly uprightdirected branches;

5. relatively early flowering response; and

6. good performance in early culture at high temperatures.

‘Fisvinci’ has not been observed under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations inenvironment such as temperature, light intensity, and daylength. Thefollowing observations, measurements and comparisons describe plantsgrown in Hillscheid, Germany, under greenhouse conditions whichapproximate those generally used in commercial practice.

Of the many commercial cultivars known to the inventor, the most similarin comparison to ‘Fisvinci’ is the patented cultivar ‘Fiscor Candy’(U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,593).

In comparison to ‘Fiscor Candy’, ‘Fisvinci’ has a more intensesalmon-pink main bract color, though with a similar kind of pinkfreckles. Bracts and leaves of ‘Fisvinci’ have more distinct andpointed, not rounded, lobes; and plant habit is round, more upright,less wide, and well-branched, even under unfavorable conditions afterpinching. Additionally, ‘Fisvinci’ has a better performance in earlyculture at high temperature, because it is less susceptible to “heatdelay”.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying color photographic drawing shows typical inflorescenceand foliage of ‘Fisvinci’ with colors being as true as possible withillustrations of this type. The photograph shows a mature potted plant.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The plants described were grown in a greenhouse in Langley, BritishColumbia, Canada, in the fall of 2001. Rooted cuttings were planted into6 inch pots on July 18, and were pinched on August 13, leaving 7 leaves.Initially, the temperature was between 22° C. (minimum) and 24.5° C.(maximum or ventilation temperature), from September to late Octoberbetween 18° and 21° C., and 15° to 17° C. in November. The plantsinitiated flowers under short-day conditions after applying shading(black-out) from September 10 to the end of September.

Observations and measurements were mainly taken around November 18, whenthe plants were 17.5 weeks old and had started flowering.

In the following description color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart (R.H.S.). The color values weredetermined indoors in a north light.

Classification:

Botanical.—Euphorbia pulcherrima.

Commercial.—Poinsettia, cv. Fisvinci.

Parentage:

Female parent.—Seedling S90-602-1.

Male parent.—Seedling S90-502-1.

Plant:

Form.—Shrub, self-branching.

Growth habit.—Medium tall, with upright branches directed at an acuteangle to the main stem; pinched plants are bushy and round in shape.

Height (above soil line).—30.2 cm.

Width.—53.0 cm.

Average number of branches.—8.0.

Average number of inflorescences.—7.2.

Stem color.—Light green, RHS 143 B to RHS 144 A.

Rooting.—Fast to medium, sufficiently rooted for transplanting afterabout 20 days in a greenhouse at a temperature of 22-24° C.

Blooming habit.—Begin (under the culture regime described): botanically(cyathia open): around November 20; commercially (bracts colored,marketable): in mid November.

Flowering response time.—About 8.5 weeks.

Natural flowering season.—Beginning late November.

Keeping quality.—Good quality will be maintained for at least 5 to 6weeks.

Foliage:

Shape.—Broad elliptical, rounded to obtuse base, distinct lobes withpointed tips, and apex acuminate.

Margin.—Entire, apart from the lobes.

Texture.—Upper surface: Smooth and flat, only weakly veined, color ofthe veins: whitish-green, RHS 145 A. Lower surface: Flat and smooth,except for the slightly protruding midrib and finer side veins in apinnate pattern, the vein color is RHS 145 C.

Size.—Leaf blade: Length: 11.30 cm. Width: 9.05 cm. Petiole: Length: 4.5to 5.5 cm.

Quantity.—About 40 leaves per plant.

Color.—Generally dark green, uniform. Mature foliage: Upper surface RHS139 A. Under surface RHS 137 A. New foliage: Upper side RHS 143 A. Underside RHS 144 A.

Leaf petiole.—Upper side RHS 145 B, weak pink infusion may occurapproximately RHS 49B, lower side RHS 145 C.

Aspect.—The petioles are horizontally directed, with the leaf bladesshowing somewhat downward.

Disease resistance: No special observations made.

Flowering description: Whole inflorescence with surrounding bracts:somewhat over medium sized, star-shaped, with the bracts horizontally orslightly upwards directed.

Diameter.—28-30 cm.

Number of bracts per inflorescence.—About 12-14.

Keeping quality.—Good, especially for an early flowering cultivar, nodrooping of bracts, no fading of color

Bracts:

Shape.—Ovate, with acute to rounded base, distinct lobes with pointedtips, and with acuminate apex. Size of the largest fully colored bract:15.0 cm long, 10.1 cm wide.

Surface texture.—Flat and smooth, with the veins hardly visible. Asbracts mature, the surface may appear slightly wrinkled or rugose.

Vein color.—Upper side: Corresponds closely to the bract color. Lowerside: Light green RHS 145 B.

Color.—Generally salmon-pink, with pink freckles. Upper surface:Approximately RHS 41 D to 43 D, freckles RHS 44 D; lower bracts RHS 32 DLower surface: RHS 41 C to 41 D, with freckles RHS 46 D — less distinctthan on the upper surface.

Petiole.—About 20 mm long, color upper and lower side: light green RHS145 C, upper side partly brownish-pink infused near the leaf base: RHS48 B.

Cyme: About 10 cyathia borne in a tight cluster, 20-22 mm in diameter.

Cyathium: Ovate, about 6 mm in diameter, mainly green colored, RHS 143C, light greenish-yellow, RHS 150 A at the top end.

Peduncle: Light green, RHS 144 C, about 5 mm long.

Nectar cups: Usually one per cyathium, 5 mm wide, yellow colored, RHS 12A.

Reproductive organs:

Stamens.—About 20 per cyathium, cream colored filaments, RHS 11 D.Moderate pollen: yellow, RHS 12 A.

Pistil.—1 per cyathium, light green style, RHS 145 A; stigma: lower sidelight green (like the pistil), RHS 145 A, upper side deep red, RHS 46 A,trifurcate, 6-lobed.

Ovaries.—Medium green, RHS 143 B, initially obovate, diameter 3-4, 5 mmlong, later triangular, 3 ovules.

Fruit/seed set.—No observation to date.

